Chapter 9

The world dissolved around Elliot, a soft, seamless transition from the dark, fog-laden streets of *Victorian Abyss* to the familiar contours of his dim apartment. The eerie, haunted atmosphere that clung to the game's air evaporated, leaving only the faint hum of his computer, the distant sounds of cars outside his window, and the low, static buzz of reality.

He lifted the VR headset off his head, blinking against the soft, yellow glow of the lamp on his desk. His room felt eerily quiet, still carrying the ghostly echo of the game's distorted whispers. He rubbed his eyes, exhausted but strangely alert, the tension from the game still clinging to his muscles. His clock showed **2:34 a.m.**. He cursed under his breath, realizing he'd been in there much longer than planned. He always did this—logged in for a "quick session," only to lose hours to the game's allure.

Elliot let out a slow breath, setting the headset down on his desk, the cold weight of it now oddly foreign after hours of wearing it. The flickering shadows from his monitor made his room feel a little too alive, so he reached over to turn on another lamp, filling the space with warmer, more grounding light.

The real world—a world that was supposed to be his real life—felt so far removed from where he had just been. His room, though small and cluttered, was a sanctuary from the chaos of London outside. Here, there were no eerie whispers or fog-drenched streets. No *Whispering Shard* calling out to him, no shadowy figures lurking in the alleys. Here, it was just him.

His legs felt stiff as he stretched and stood up, the aches of sitting in one position for too long hitting him all at once. He needed something—water, food, anything to break the lingering hold the game had on him. His mind kept circling back to the events in the game—the *Silverfangs*, Rebecca's warnings, the weight of the shard still fresh in his memory. It was just a game, he reminded himself, but damn if it didn't feel real sometimes.

As he walked into the kitchen, the old hardwood floor creaked beneath his feet, the sounds of his movements loud in the quiet of the early morning. He filled a glass with water, gulping it down quickly, the cool liquid refreshing against his dry throat. His reflection in the window caught his eye, pale and tired. The guy looking back at him was worlds apart from the Acolyte he was in *Victorian Abyss*—a figure who commanded respect, someone who navigated treacherous secrets with ease. Here, in 2023, Elliot was just a guy trying to get through his classes, pay his rent, and avoid getting swallowed by the weight of it all.

He glanced over at his phone, which buzzed on the counter, vibrating with a notification. It was from Alex, the guy who'd dragged him into the game in the first place. Alex had been obsessed with *Victorian Abyss* since its beta release, pouring hours into uncovering its mysteries and chasing its impossible ranks. They often played together, but Alex always seemed one step ahead—always knowing a little more, always pushing the boundaries of the game's mechanics.

**[Alex]: Heard you ranked up. Be careful—game's been getting darker with each update. Meet tomorrow? We need to talk.**

The message made Elliot pause. Alex wasn't the type to overdramatize, especially about games. For him to say they needed to talk in person—about the game, no less—felt off. Elliot's frown deepened as he read the message again. What could Alex possibly have discovered now? The last update had brought in some strange new elements, but that was standard for a game like this. And yet, something about Alex's tone seemed… heavier.

Elliot tapped out a quick reply.

**[Elliot]: Sure. Usual place at 1?**

He set the phone back on the counter, finishing off the last of his water as his thoughts churned. He couldn't help but replay the night's events in his head. He had reached Rank 2, finally stepping up in the game's convoluted ranking system. But it hadn't felt like much of an achievement—there was always something more looming on the horizon, some new secret or danger lurking just out of sight.

The relic he'd found—the *Whispering Shard*—kept surfacing in his thoughts. It was unlike anything he'd encountered in the game before, not just in its strange properties but in the way it seemed to interact with him, almost as if it were alive. The whispers that had emanated from it had seemed distant at first, faint and unintelligible, but as he held it longer, they had grown clearer, more insistent. He shuddered, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that clung to him.

He wandered back into his room, glancing at the mess that surrounded his desk. There were textbooks piled high on one side, leftover food containers on the other, and his computer—still glowing faintly—taking up most of the space. His reality here was so much more mundane than the world of *Victorian Abyss*. In the game, he had purpose. He was uncovering secrets, pushing deeper into the heart of a world full of mysteries. Here, he was just a student struggling to keep up with assignments, a part-time worker trying to make rent. The disconnect between his two lives was stark, and sometimes, it was easier to lose himself in the game than deal with the monotony of his real life.

But right now, even *Victorian Abyss* had left him feeling unsettled. It was as if the game had crossed a line, like something within it had shifted. The updates Alex had mentioned—were they more than just cosmetic or functional changes? Was there something deeper, something darker going on? Elliot wasn't sure, but the thought made him uneasy.

He flopped onto his bed, letting out a long sigh as his body sank into the mattress. The room was quiet, almost too quiet. His mind wouldn't stop turning over the events of the night, no matter how much he tried to focus on the here and now. Tomorrow, he'd meet with Alex, and maybe that would shed some light on whatever was happening in the game. But for now, all he could do was try to sleep—try to put the eerie whispers and the creeping sense of dread behind him.

As he lay there, staring at the ceiling, he realized just how blurred the lines between the game and reality had become. In *Victorian Abyss*, he was someone important, someone with power and influence. In 2023, he was Elliot—a guy trying to make sense of it all. The game had a way of pulling him in, making him forget about everything else. But as he lay there, listening to the faint sounds of the city outside, he couldn't shake the feeling that *Victorian Abyss* was becoming more than just a game.

And that was what scared him the most.